James n



ltttth toiles gstwt @fitte letters Patent IVO. 76,234, dated lL/"arch 31, 1863,

IMPBOVED LAGING-DEVICE.

ilgttlgttnlt nient it it tlgtst ttttets V@tient mit limiting mi nt the stmt..

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Beit known that I, JAMES NEALEY, Jr., of Bangor, in the couutyof Penobscot, and State of Moine, have `inventedo. new and useful or improved Lncing-Hoclt for Boots und Shoes; and I do hereby declare that the following is tt full, clear, :1nd exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being 'had tothe accompanying drefwings, and the letters of reference marked thereon, in which- Figure 1 is u perspective view of my invention applied to a. gniter-boot, 1-lso shown in perspective,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the luce-hook; and v Figure 3 is a. section taken in lineA B, fig. 1, showingthe leather, the cyelef, und the hook applied thereto.

`Similar letters indicate corresponding ports in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in n mettillic hook of peculiar construction adapted to shoes, either with or without eyele`ts, ztnd so constructed as not to wear the clothes, and to admit of lunlucing the `shoe without removing the lacing from the hooks.

'To enable others to'muke and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction und operation.

In the drawings, C represents a common-gniter-boot, provided with eyelets in the usual manner. B B nre hooks formed of iiattened Wire, und of :t single piece, the piece being bent et the centre und douhledtogether edgewise, after which the .two eyes e c are formed at the two ends, and the eye d is formed at the other extremity, es shown. The eyes e c may be inserted and clinched in the eyelets, as shown, or they maybe inserted in perforations in the leather, and clinched, so :ts to retain them iirmlyin plece. The `eye LZ is closed so that tho lacing e can only be retnoved from the eye in the samemu-nner es from an eyelet. By turning the eyes c c and ci inward,v and placing thein at the respective edges of the leather, the only protuberun ce produced upon the leather is the thickness ofthe wire, thus preventing the catching und. weer of clothing caused by hooks upon the out` side forthe reception of the lacing.

The two eyes c c muy both be inserted in one perforation, or in separate ones, and in applying this inven- -tion to eyeleted shoes, I usually insert the two oyes iti-seperate eyelets, with 'the exception of' one at the top,

:rnd when applied without eyelets, I insert each hook in :t sepa-rete perforation.`

By the use `0t` this invent-ion the shoe cnn be readily laced or unlaced, the lacing rendering freely through -the eyes ofthe hooks, and the lacing will be more durable than when used with eyelets.

I do not claim broadly the use of hooks for lacing boots and shoes, :1s I :un aware that they have before been used, but

Whitt I do' claim as nerr, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The hook I3, as zt new article of manufacture, when constructed within turning eyes, andthe lacing-eye closed, substantially as described end shown.

2. Combining with shoe C, the lacing-hooks B, when constructed and combined withthe shoe, substantially,

as described and shown.

.IA-MES HEALEY, Jn.

Witnesses:

H. L. MITCHELL, C. P. BRQWN. 

